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June 23, 2020 - Brief Issue 66

The Coronavirus Daily Brief is a daily news and analysis roundup edited by New America’s International Security Program and Arizona State University.

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Top Headlines

Florida Passes 100,000 Coronavirus Cases, Becoming the Seventh American State to Do So as Cases Surge Across the U.S. (Health & Science)

Remdesivir to Begin Trials for Inhaled Version (Health & Science)

New Study Finds Influenza-Like Illness Outpatient Surveillance Can Help Detect Missing Coronavirus Cases (Health & Science)

Scientists Use Lab-Grown “Organoids” to Investigate the Coronavirus’s Effects on the Human Body (Health & Science)

Yale University Teams up With NBA to Conduct New Saliva-Based Coronavirus Test (Health & Science)

Britain Trials No-Swab Test in Southampton (Around the World)

Germany’s Viral Reproduction Rate Soars, Mostly Due to Meat Plant Outbreak (Around the World)

Delhi’s Luxury Hotels Are Turning into COVID-19 Treatment Centers and Staff Are Being Trained to Care for Patients (Around the World)

Family Celebrations Create New Clusters in Australia, One Million People Now Face New Restrictions (Around the World)

Egyptian Prisons Under Scrutiny from Rights Groups Over COVID-19 (Around the World)

African Countries Come Together to Lower Costs of PPE and COVID-19 Tests; South Africa Passes 100,000 Cases (Around the World)

Brazilians Hit the Beach Despite WHO Warning, Rio Health Official Resigns (Around the World)

Saudi Arabia to Hold Limited Hajj (Around the World)

Trump Orders Extended Limits on Foreign Workers (U.S. Government & Politics)

Two Trump Staffers Who Attended Tulsa Rally Test Positive for Coronavirus (U.S. Government & Politics)

Delta to Resume U.S.-China Flight Service on June 25 (U.S. Economy)

Coronavirus Places Stress on Expecting Mothers, Raising Concern for Mental Health Issues (U.S. Society)

Health & Science

There have now been 2,312,302 coronavirus cases in the United States, and 120,402 people have died (Johns Hopkins). At least 640,198 people have recovered, and the United States has conducted 27,553,581 tests. Worldwide, there have been 9,098,855 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 472,172 deaths. At least 4,526,407 people have recovered from the virus.

Florida Passes 100,000 Coronavirus Cases, Becoming the Seventh American State to Do So as Cases Surge Across the U.S.

On Monday, Florida's government confirmed that it has passed 100,000 coronavirus cases, after another 2,926 new cases were added. At least 3,173 Floridians have died since the start of the pandemic (NPR). Current Senator and Former Governor of Florida Rick Scott told CNBC on Monday that he and other political leaders in Florida are concerned about the continuing rise in coronavirus cases, stating, “First off, I mean, we clearly haven't beat it so I think everybody is concerned when they read about the cases, the number of cases up,” adding, “We’ve got to — every one of us — to take this seriously, wear your mask, social distance. Don't go to places you don't have to go to” (Politico). The largest demographic with new cases is the 25 to 34-year-old range, reports Politico.

California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Texas have all passed 100,000 cases (NPR). The United States’ seven-day average of new coronavirus cases increased by 24 percent as of Sunday, reports CNBC, and hospitalizations are still increasing across 14 states. Cases are growing by 5 percent in over 25 states across America, and the Washington Post reports that “Twenty-nine states and U.S. territories logged an increase in their seven-day average of new reported cases on Monday, with nine states reporting record average highs.” On Monday, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah all recorded their highest seven-day average of new coronavirus cases, reports the Post. Texas reported 3,280 new coronavirus cases on Monday, increasing its fourteenth day of a “new rolling average high” to 3,682. South Carolina reported 1,005 new coronavirus cases on Monday, and also reached a “new rolling average high” for the fifteenth day. Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Monday that states with surges in cases are entering a “pivotal week” to see whether or not “they’re tipping over into exponential growth or not.” Bonus Read: “Mysterious deaths of infants, children raise questions about how early coronavirus hit California,” (LA Times).

States Look for Contact Tracing Apps to Help Open Their Economies, but There’s a Lack of Consistency Across Platforms and Policy

States are depending on contact tracing applications to help them track the continuous spread of the coronavirus, but anecdotal evidence across the country shows that the apps are not ready to be deployed. The Wall Street Journal reports that the pool of apps, “is a patchwork of buggy or little-used apps, made by partners ranging from startups on shoestring budgets to academics to consulting firms. Some are working with location-tracking firms that have been under fire from privacy advocates.” There is no central countrywide app being used. Some states are paying significant sums for exclusive apps, others are paying nothing. Some states paid for apps before tech giants like Google and Apple started developing their own. According to the Journal, Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc. have provided technology to at least five U.S. states, but they’re not perfect either. There are some privacy restrictions for collecting user data, among other concerns. One example of another app that hasn’t worked as hoped for is in Wyoming. Teton County, Wyoming, where Yellowstone National Park is located, signed up for an application developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, only to find that the app “can’t accurately track location, it’s missing key features, and its developers have struggled to protect sensitive user data.” The Journal notes that nearly 30 countries worldwide either have coronavirus apps in place or are about to roll them out. China, Israel, and Singapore are among the 30, while the United States struggles with consistency. There are two types of apps available in the U.S.: one that tracks an individual’s location, and the other looks at a person’s literal closeness to others based on Bluetooth signals of smart devices. The first kind of app was most often used in the beginning of the pandemic because geolocation could help support human contact tracers. The most challenging part of the geolocation apps is accuracy because sometimes they can be off by hundreds of feet if the variables aren’t ideal for tracing, or in a multistory building, people may be shown to be on the same floor, when they’re actually floors apart. According to Johns Hopkins University professor Josh Sharfstein, “We don’t have a clear national strategy for disease control, for traditional contact tracing, so there’s nowhere to plug in a digital program” adding, “You really need a fundamental strategy, and then you can decide if tech will help or not.”

Remdesivir to Begin Trials for Inhaled Version

Gilead Sciences, maker of remdesivir – the only drug to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorization – is about to start human trials for an inhaled version of remdesivir in August, reports CNBC. Currently, the drug is given intravenously to COVID-19 patients and not in pill form because “its chemical makeup would impact the liver.” The inhaled version will be done so via nebulizer and, according to Gilead Chairman and CEO Daniel O’Day, “could potentially allow for easier administration outside the hospital, at earlier stages of disease.” Gilead plans to screen COVID-19-free volunteers for its early trial, and then will move to COVID-19 patients in August. Gilead will also “conduct trials using intravenous infusions in outpatient settings” in hopes that this could be another therapy for COVID-19 patients. Bonus Read: “Drug recently shown to reduce coronavirus death risk could run out, experts warn,” (Science).

New Study Finds Influenza-Like Illness Outpatient Surveillance Can Help Detect Missing Coronavirus Cases

A new study published in Science Translational Medicine found that if one-third of patients who exhibited influenza-like illness (ILI) but did not test positive for the flu (and had the coronavirus) were surveilled in the same way that ILI is surveilled, counts for SARS-CoV-2 would have been 8.7 million between March 8 through March 28, 2020. The study believes that over 80 percent of infected patients were undetected in that timeframe. According to the researchers, “Studies of outpatient ILI have repeatedly demonstrated that confirmed influenza case rates underestimate disease burden, likely due to preferential testing of more severe cases. Together these features suggest that ILI surveillance could provide a crucial tool for estimating COVID-19 prevalence within the US.” The researchers note that they “identified excess ILI cases by first subtracting cases due to influenza and then subtracting the seasonal signal of non-influenza ILI” in the early stages of the pandemic, which meant they could account for other known non-coronavirus respiratory infections that were circulating in the U.S. That said, in March, many states “showed a surge in [the] number of non-influenza ILI cases in excess of seasonal norms.” The example they provide is in New York. During the last week of March in New York, the state had twice as many “non-influenza ILI than it had ever seen since the inception of the ILINet surveillance system within the US.” Over 10 percent of outpatient visits in the states were not flu-related or other seasonal “respiratory pathogens.” Then, as non-influenza respiratory pathogens decreased, new COVID-19 cases increased. This led the researchers to believe that the increase was related to ILI from SARS-CoV-2. This finding applied to multiple states because “The surge of non-influenza ILI outpatients was much larger than the number of confirmed cases in each state, providing evidence of large numbers of probable symptomatic COVID-19 cases that remained undetected.” And, these are only numbers related to those who chose to seek care from a healthcare professional. The researchers note that this similar model may need to be adjusted in winter months when there are multiple respiratory viruses circulating which could conflate or confuse numbers. The researchers also noted that the increase in ILI cases during the studied time could include non-SARS-CoV-2 cases. 

Scientists Use Lab-Grown “Organoids” to Investigate the Coronavirus’s Effects on the Human Body

Researchers around the world are developing and using miniature organs to learn more about the new coronavirus’ effects on the body (Cell, Nature). “The beauty of organoids is that they resemble the true morphology of tissues,” Thomas Efferth, a cell biologist at Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany, told Nature. Scientists can grow organoids that take shape in weeks and can show the effects of the new coronavirus on human tissue better than animal studies or cells in lab dishes; they are also less expensive and ethically fraught than animal studies. However, one of their drawbacks is that “they do not reflect the crosstalk between organs that happens in the body,” so findings must be tested and confirmed in animal studies and clinical trials. 

The lung is “the most vulnerable target” for the coronavirus, but until now its primary model in the lab was based on Vero cells, derived from African green monkey kidney cells, which have “clear limitations for modeling complex human” organs, Shuibing Chen and colleagues wrote in a preprint manuscript (bioRxiv). At Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, they developed lung organoids and showed organoid responses paralleled human responses to the coronavirus, including high levels of chemokines and cytokines. The team screened about 1,200 drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for other uses and found that imatinib, a cancer drug, suppressed the virus; clinical trials of the drug as a treatment for COVID-19 are now underway.

A team from Kyoto University in Japan, led by Kazuo Takayama, found that in lung organoids, the virus likely targets basal cells but not the club cells of the lung’s outer bronchial layer. Treatment with camostat—a drug now in clinical trials for coronavirus treatment—lowered virus levels by 98 percent, they reported in a preprint manuscript (bioRxiv). Takayama is testing other treatments including the antiviral favipiravir, and plans to investigate if infection can spread from the basal cells to other cells of the body (Kyodo News). 

The coronavirus’ route of infection from the lungs to other organs is still not fully known. At the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, Núria Montserrat and her colleagues used organoids to show that virus can “infect the endothelium — the cells lining the blood vessels — which then allows viral particles to leak out into the blood and circulate around the body” writes Nature. They found that treatment with ACE2—the receptor that the virus binds to, which can also be produced as a drug—helped inhibit infection in several different kidney and blood vessel organoids (Cell). ACE2 already underwent Phase I and II clinical trials in 2017 and is now being considered as a treatment for COVID-19.

At Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, Thomas Hartung and his colleagues found that the virus can also infect and replicate within “the tiny neuronal balls known as mini-brains” (Financial Times). “It is really critical to know that our most precious organ can be directly affected by the virus,” Hartung told the Financial Times, although it’s still unclear how often this occurs in COVID-19 patients.

In Fudan University in Shanghai, China, Bing Zhao found that liver damage in COVID-19 is not only a result of the body’s immune over-response, but also stems from the virus’ attack on the liver cells that help produce bile (Protein and Cell). A team from the Netherlands, led by Bart Haagmans, found that the virus can also reproduce in the lining of the small and large intestines (Science). These findings are thought-provoking, but the field is still in its infancy, and Nature warns that researchers say that more “complex organoid systems are needed to better understand how the virus interacts with the body’s immune system to cause damage.”

Yale University Teams up With NBA to Conduct New Saliva-Based Coronavirus Test

Researchers at Yale University are teaming up with the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association “to study the efficacy of a saliva-based method that quickly determines if someone is infected with the novel coronavirus,” reports USA Today. A new coronavirus test is in the works using SalivaDirect, which uses a saliva sample. This testing method is less expensive than nasopharyngeal swabbing, and reduces risk to healthcare workers, notes USA Today. According to an NBA document on the partnership, “Yale researchers have identified saliva as potentially a reliable and sensitive specimen for the detection of the coronavirus, although the efficacy of saliva for a sensitive test in asymptomatic individuals has not been demonstrated.” Further, the document noted, “To enable saliva to reach its surveillance potential, Yale researchers will conduct optimization, robustness, and sensitivity experiments by comparing the results of de-identified saliva testing against de-identified testing conducted via swabs.” The goal of the project is to continuously conduct these tests in hopes of submitting the method to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for authorization to release this testing technique to the public in July. According to research on this new testing form, Yale researchers found that “saliva samples taken from just inside the mouth provided greater detection sensitivity and consistency throughout the course of an infection than the broadly recommended nasopharyngeal approach. The study also concluded that there was less variability in results with the self-sample collection of saliva.” Bonus Read: “What a Negative COVID-19 Test Really Means,” (Atlantic).

Around the World

Europe

Britain Trials No-Swab Test in Southampton

A weekly coronavirus testing regime using a “no-swab” saliva test is currently being trailed in southern England and could result in a quicker and more comfortable way to detect infections (Reuters). “Saliva testing could potentially make it even easier for people to take coronavirus tests at home, without having to use swabs,” said U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock. “This trial will also help us learn if routine, at-home testing could pick up cases of the virus earlier.”  The test uses a different technique, called RT-lamp, and does not rely on the standard polymerase chain reaction method (PCR), which experts say can miss cases due to errors in collecting samples using the long nasopharyngeal swab. The trial is meant to determine whether or not the RT-lamp method is reliable. More than 14,000 doctors, healthcare workers, essential workers, and university staff in the city city of Southampton will participate in the trial. 

Germany’s Viral Reproduction Rate Soars, Mostly Due to Meat Plant Outbreak

The reproduction number of the coronavirus in Germany rose sharply to 2.88 on Monday, according to data published by the Robert Koch Institute (CBS). The reproduction number is an indication of how many other people one person with coronavirus will infect. The number had fallen to 0.74 in May but rose again after an outbreak at a meat processing plant in the town of Gutersloh infected more than 1,000 people (CNN). German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the country needs to keep the number below 1. The Robert Koch Institute noted that "since the number of cases in Germany are at a low level overall, these local outbreaks have a relatively strong influence on the R number." Bonus Read: “The giant meatpacking company at the heart of Germany's new coronavirus hotspot,” (CNN).

Bulgaria Makes Face Masks Mandatory, Again

Bulgaria announced on Monday that all residents would be required to wear face masks in all indoor public places after the country recorded its highest weekly rise in coronavirus cases (Reuters). The announcement came just 10 days after the health minister, Kiril Ananiev, made masks “highly recommended” but not mandatory in indoor spaces, aside from public transport and pharmacies where they were required. Bulgaria has reopened restaurants and cafes and lifted stay-at-home recommendations in most areas, but this past week officials recorded 606 new coronavirus cases. “Obviously, last week’s data for the whole country is alarming,” Yordanka Fandakova, the mayor of Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, said. “This includes Sofia. That is why we are constantly discussing and considering the situation. We have to learn to live with the virus.”

Bonus Read: “Coronavirus Rips Through Italy’s Postwar Entrepreneurial Generation,” (WSJ).

Asia 

Delhi’s Luxury Hotels Are Turning into COVID-19 Treatment Centers and Staff Are Being Trained to Care for Patients

The Delhi government has requisitioned hotels in order to supply the city with more hospital beds, turning 25 establishments into emergency COVID-19 care centers for those with mild-to-moderate symptoms (Guardian). Hotel employees are also being trained to care for patients as medical staff in the city are already overwhelmed by the number of patients. While many of the hotel staff feel uncomfortable with their potential new duties and fear for their safety and the safety of their families, they report feeling unable to decline the new roles. Each hotel will be linked with the nearest hospital and a medical team will supervise operations. Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has predicted that the capital needs 150,000 beds by the end of July, when cases are estimated to rise to half a million.  

Coronavirus Causes Spike in Poaching in India, Asia

Authorities in India have seen an uptick in poaching of wildlife since the coronavirus lockdown began as many people who have been left jobless have turned to illegally hunting wildlife to make money and feed their families (AP). Officials are worried that the poaching could kill endangered tigers and leopards and also the species that these animals depend on for survival. Since the lockdown began in India, at least four tigers and six leopards have been killed by poachers, according to the Wildlife Protection Society of India. But gazelles, giant squirrels, wild boars, and birds such as peacocks and purple moorhens have also been killed. In some Asian countries, authorities are seeing a similar increase in the illegal trade of certain high-value species, like the endangered pangolin. The animals are often caught in Africa and Asia then smuggled to China and Southeast Asia, where their meat is considered a delicacy and their scales are used in traditional medicine. 

Bonus Read: “Under Coronavirus Lockdown, a Philippine Priest Hits the Streets,” (NYT).

Australia and New Zealand

Family Celebrations Create New Clusters in Australia, One Million People Now Face New Restrictions

One million people have been advised not to leave their suburbs after hotspots emerged in the Melbourne area that were caused by family gatherings and birthday parties (Guardian). After months of lockdown, most states and territories in Australia had relaxed their lockdown restrictions and the number of active cases was close to zero. Some have even gone so far as to allow large gatherings of people again; in Western Australia, crowds of 30,000 people will be allowed to attend sporting events and live music concerts starting next weekend. But that positive trajectory is not shared by the state of Victoria, which now accounts for some 83 percent of the 116 active cases in the country. On Saturday, the state’s leader Daniel Andrews said that restrictions would be re-imposed, and that for the next three weeks the number of guests allowed in a private home would be reduced back to five, after it had been 20 people. Andrews said at a press conference: “It may be the case in the days ahead ... we may need to, for instance, reinstitute the stay-at-home except for [essential] reasons,” he said at a press conference. “We all remember that time, it was deeply frustrating but it was very effective … we may need to go back to that setting in given geographical areas.” Bonus Read: “Fiji plans to create a post-coronavirus travel bubble with New Zealand and Australia,” (CNN).

Africa

Egyptian Prisons Under Scrutiny from Rights Groups Over COVID-19 

Concerns about the safety and health of prisoners in Egypt’s notorious Tora prison are mounting as rights groups say that parts of the prison have been sectioned off to quarantine those diagnosed with coronavirus (Guardian). Families of prisoners in the overcrowded facility say that the prison authorities’ efforts to prevent the spread of the virus among the prisoner population have been insufficient and that they have restricted hand sanitizer and soap supplies sent by families. “Things have been erratic since they banned visits in March,” said Mona Seif, whose brother, the activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, has been detained at the prison since September. Egyptian authorities have decided against mass prisoner releases like those sanctioned elsewhere to reduce the spread of infection, and activists and family members of those in prison believe that the poor conditions and close living quarters within the prison could foster a severe outbreak. Egypt is currently dealing with a significant increase in COVID-19 infections, with 50,000 confirmed cases. One government minister has repeatedly said the true number is likely to be five to 10 times the official rate. 

African Countries Come Together to Lower Costs of PPE and COVID-19 Tests; South Africa Passes 100,000 Cases

African countries have pulled together to set up an online shop that will give the continent a better chance at obtaining COVID-19 test kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the international scrabble. The online marketplace, called Africa Medical Supplies Platform, will be similar to eBay or Amazon and “will address shortages and security of supply, ensure price competitiveness and transparency in procurement, reduce logistical delays, simplify payment processes and provide a common platform where governments can access services from quality and certified suppliers,” said South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa during the launch (Guardian). 

Across the continent, there have been 275,327 cases and more than 7,400 deaths but the average number of tests per one million people was about 1,669, much lower than the 173,029 kits per one million people in Iceland, for example. The shortage is due to the increased competition among countries for test kits and the high price of medical equipment as all countries race to stockpile PPE and other necessary equipment. The additional test kits are much needed, as cases continue to climb in hotspots around the continent but particularly in South Africa, which, according to the World Health Organization, accounts for more than half of Africa’s infections. On Monday, South Africa said it had over 100,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and the number of deaths was close to 2,000 (Guardian). Nigeria and Ghana also have high numbers of cases, with over 20,000 and 14,000 recorded respectively.

Americas

Brazilians Hit the Beach Despite WHO Warning, Rio Health Official Resigns

Brazil has had more than one million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 50,000 deaths, but throngs of people still swarmed to the beaches, even as the World Health Organization said on Monday that those reported case numbers were still undercounts (Reuters). Brazil’s health ministry said on Monday that an additional 21,432 confirmed cases and 654 new deaths had been registered in the past 24 hours. Just the day before, beachgoers packed Rio de Janeiro's famous beaches, with many ignoring guidance to wear masks and maintain a distance of 3 feet between people. Rio is the state with the second highest number of novel coronavirus cases and the local health secretary announced on Monday that he would resign after about a month in office. “I have only one thing to say: I tried,” State Health Secretary Fernando Ferry said in a video on Brazilian broadcaster TV Globo, announcing his departure.

Canadian Public Servants To Continue Remote Work 

Some of Canada’s 290,000 federal employees will gradually return to their offices as coronavirus restrictions ease, but many will continue to work remotely, said the president of the Treasury Board on Monday (Reuters). Most government employees have been working from  home since mid-March but even now that the provinces and territories are slowly reopening, they will continue to be remote. “We can have a public service that can be working remotely while serving Canadians very efficiently,” Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos said at a news conference. “We’re not necessarily going back to where we were,” he said, adding that there would be more teleworking by public servants in the future “than there was before the crisis.”

Middle East

Saudi Arabia to Hold Limited Hajj

Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that it would allow only “very limited numbers” of people to perform the annual hajj pilgrimage this year and that only people of various nationalities who are already residing in the country could participate (AP). The government did not specify how many people would be permitted to take part, but did say that the decision was based on the lack of a vaccine and the risks associated with large gatherings of people. Indonesia and Malaysia, which send around a quarter-million Muslims to the hajj each year, had already announced that they would not send their citizens this year.

U.S. Government & Politics

Bonus Read: “'The U.S. has hamstrung itself': How America became the new Italy on coronavirus,’” (Politico).

Trump Orders Extended Limits on Foreign Workers 

On Monday, President Trump issued a presidential directive temporarily blocking some foreign workers from obtaining visas through the end of the year (Reuters, BBC). The order will affect H1-B, L, and J visas and stops some new green cards from being issued until the end of the year. An initial executive order barring immigration amid the coronavirus pandemic was enacted in April and was set to expire on Monday. The order is expected to bar 525,000 people from entering the country. The order comes after conservatives urged President Trump to do more for unemployed Americans as unemployment reached all-time highs in recent months as a result of stay-at-home orders. On Saturday, President Trump told Fox News he wanted Americans to take jobs usually given to visa holders, stating, "We have plenty of people looking for jobs. I think it's going to make a lot of people very happy. And it's common sense." Industry officials say the directive will harm innovation and affect jobs where there is a skills gap not fillable by American workers. The order will likely be challenged in court (Politico, Bloomberg, WSJ).

Two Trump Staffers Who Attended Tulsa Rally Test Positive for Coronavirus

On Monday, the Trump campaign announced that two members of its advance team who attended the campaign’s first post-pandemic rally, which was held in Tulsa, tested positive for coronavirus (CNBC, CNN). The two positive tests bring the total number of advance team members who have tested positive to eight, though the first six did not attend the rally. At least two of the earlier positive tests were Secret Service agents. Tim Murtaugh, the campaign’s communications director, stated, “After another round of testing for campaign staff in Tulsa, two additional members of the advance team tested positive for the coronavirus” adding, “These staff members attended the rally but were wearing masks during the entire event. Upon the positive tests, the campaign immediately activated established quarantine and contact tracing protocols.” As we covered in Monday’s brief, the rally became the subject of criticism by some who viewed it as having the potential to spread the virus.

White House Eases Coronavirus Restrictions for Staffers; D.C. Begins Phase Two

On Monday, the White House began loosening coronavirus restrictions for its staffers, according to the Washington Post (WaPo). Changes include fewer temperature checks, allowing for the return of workers to the office, and the opening of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building Cafeteria. For those staffers in contact with Trump or Pence, temperature checks will continue, however. The loosened restrictions came as Washington, D.C. entered Phase Two on Monday (NBC4). As we covered in a previous brief, the change in phase loosens restrictions on restaurants, houses of worship, and other facilities.

Former Manhattan U.S. Attorney Berman Refused to Sign Letter Criticizing New York City Mayor de Blasio Over Social Distancing

Geoffrey Berman, former Manhattan U.S. Attorney, refused to sign a letter disparaging New York Mayor Bill de Blasio over enforcement of social distancing protocol. Berman was asked to sign the letter by supervisors in Attorney General William Barr's office. The letter alleged that de Blasio didn't use the same rules of social distancing for religious services and protests. Berman wouldn’t sign the letter saying that it would harm relations between his office and the city and was politically motivated. It is unclear if the letter had any effect on Barr and Berman's showdown, which led to Berman's resignation (WSJ).

Democrats Say Trump Failed to Disburse $14 Billion for Coronavirus Testing

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) say that President Trump has not disbursed $14 billion in congressionally-appropriated funding for coronavirus testing contact tracing. On Sunday, they sent a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar saying that the Trump administration failed to disburse $8 billion out of the $25 billion earmarked by Congress for testing and contact tracing. Further, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has not distributed nearly $4 billion for contact tracing, and $2 billion set aside for free testing. The letter read in part, “While it has been months since these funds were first appropriated, the Administration has failed to disburse significant amounts of this funding, leaving communities without the resources they need to address the significant challenges presented by the virus" (NBC).

U.S. Economy

Delta to Resume U.S.-China Flight Service on June 25

On Monday, Delta Air Lines announced that it would resume flight service between the U.S. and China on June 25. The airline is the first U.S. airline that is resuming flights to China after they were suspended in February to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The airline plans to operate flights out of Detroit and Seattle to Shanghai (NY Post). According to the New York Post, the United States declined a request by airline companies in China to add “additional weekly flights between the two countries.” United Airlines plans to look into adding its own flights to China in the near future.

Cash-Strapped Firms Reconsider Investments

Amid the pandemic, large companies sold off equity in other businesses as the crisis caused an urgent need for liquid assets. In May, PNC Financial Services Group sold its more than $13 billion stake in BlackRock. Sanofi sold its nearly 20 percent stake in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. According to Dealogic, to date, more than $28 billion of U.S.-traded stock has been sold over eight transactions totaling at least $1 billion. These sales constitute a record in the company's data, which covers sales since 1995. Elif Bilgi Zapparoli, head of global markets at Bank of America, discussed the need for capital: "Boards today realize they can't be complacent. Our discussions are not strictly with CFOs anymore. We're having discussions with CEOs and boards, as well as with sponsors and venture capitalists" (WSJ).

U.S. Society

Coronavirus Places Stress on Expecting Mothers, Raising Concern for Mental Health Issues

Experts have found that the coronavirus is creating severe stress for new and expecting mothers, which increases the risk of postpartum depression and other mental health illnesses. Isolation from lockdown orders and the lack of help due to social distancing protocol has created more pressure on mothers. Ann Smith, board chair at Postpartum Support International (PSI), has stated that nearly 1 in 7 mothers experience perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) in normalcy. It remains unclear how much effect the pandemic has had on PMADs, but PSI has seen a surge of mothers looking for resources. Melissa Bentley, therapist and manager at PSI, discussed the effect of the pandemic on mothers: "The fear and uncertainty enveloping our lives is having a pronounced effect on pregnant moms, who already make up a third of all women with perinatal disorders. Women come up with intricate birthing plans to ensure they'll have the support they need, but all of a sudden, those plans are out the window. This is especially troubling for those with a history of anxiety, depression, or trauma" (WaPo). Bonus Read: “Covid-19 could cause a mental health crisis. It can also spark post-traumatic growth,” (STAT).

New York City Begins Phase Two of Reopening 

On Monday, New York City began phase two of its reopening. Workers were allowed to return to their offices, yet subway trains and sidewalks remained relatively desolate as many employees still opted to work from home. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio discussed phase two of the opening, stating, "Today is a very, very important day for this city" (WSJ, NYT).

Analysis & Arguments

The New York Times asks why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is AWOL when it comes to the pandemic’s effect on workplaces (NYT).

Marc Michael-Blum and Peter Neumann assess the bioterrorism threat in light of coronavirus (War on the Rocks).

Olga Khazan explores how the pandemic has renewed interest in colloidal silver and other snake oil treatments (Atlantic).

John Patrick Leary argues against setting the post-coronavirus goal as a return to normalcy (New Republic).

Cordilia James looks at how to prepare to leave town while continuing to work remotely (WSJ).

In Lighter News

Musicians Borrow Fishing Boats to Serenade Lakeside Audience in Italy

Blues musicians in Castiglione del Lago, Italy have taken to the lake to perform on fishing boats to those on the shore. They took over four fishing boats with guitars, harmonicas, microphones, and amplifiers, reports Reuters. According to a tourist from Tuscany, Alice Orlandi, “It was absolutely beautiful, a fantastic show” adding, “We needed this after being cooped up at home for so long and we feared there would be no more concerts. This was a real innovation.”

Long-Term Care Facility in Brazil Makes “Hug Tunnel” for Residents to Safely Hug Their Loved Ones

A long-term care facility in Brazil created a “hug tunnel” for residents to greet their visiting loved ones. Staff at Três Figueiras noticed their residents appeared forlorn around Mother’s Day, so they started to think how to creatively lift their spirits. According to one of the facility’s owners, Luciana Brito, “We thought they would be much happier if we found a way for them to hug their relatives.” The staff got the idea of a “hug tunnel” after watching a video of a woman in the United States hugging her mother with an adapted plastic curtain. According to CNN, the “hug tunnel” is made out of large plastic sheets with four arm holes (two for each person on either side) so that people can be hugged without fear of spreading the virus. The tunnels are disinfected every 30 minutes to keep them clean. 

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The Brief is edited by Melissa Salyk-Virk and David Sterman and co-edited by Emily Schneider and Narisara Murray, with Brenden McMullen and Senior Editor Peter Bergen.

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